DUST – Soulburst (2016)

The ‘never judge an album by its cover’ applies again; Swedes’ DUST and their new album “Soulburst” which has been waiting my first listen for a couple of weeks.
Yeah, checking the artwork I thought; ugh, just another ‘stoner metal’ band. Wrong…
What we have here is a killer bluesy hard rock album plenty of groove in the vein of the great Badlands (Jake E. Lee band).

Dust’s sound is based on classic rock / hard rock riffs and melodies, but they sound pretty modern. The group recorded & released a self-financed album a couple years ago, while they have now been picked up by the appropriately label named Attitude Records for this second effort “Soulburst”.
The album kicks off with ‘Sun Rising’ which instantly shows a tight band with an oiled rhythm section, clean yet potent riffs and classy (rock) vocals. Love the punchy bass sound and the contagious chorus.

Next up is “The King Is Coming” which really shows the band’s Badlands influences with the mighty vocalist Roger Solander sounding like Ray Gillen’s long lost cousin.
Johan Niskanen is a bluesy riff machine with a lot of tasty leads under his belt, often skipping the rhythm guitar during the solos and leaving it up to the tightly knit power rhythm package of bass player Bernt Ek and drummer Örjan “Dr Rock” Englin to fill every crack and crevice.
‘Come On!’ has some Dio on it, or perhaps Rainblow Dio-fronted era, especially on the guitar fills and rhythm.

‘Bad Boy’ is one of the more contemporary tracks in terms of sound, with a Red Dragon Cartel vibe build over a classic rock backbone. ‘Free’ is based on almost the same, more or less sacred and forbidden but still often used riff pattern of Hendrix’s Freedom. A tad too close, but still a great song.
‘Soul Stealer’ is another cool riff-driven track, almost melodic hard rock during the verses, soulful at the chorus and featuring a bleeding solo.

However not all is about power riffs and heavy rhythms. ‘Waiting For You’ is a lovely bluesy power ballad, with a hint of vintage Whitesnake (when Dave still had a big voice).
The album closes with the very melodic midtempo ‘Blind’, again reminiscent of Badlands where the guitars take a more atmospheric role floating on top of the groovy rhythm package and Solander soaring above it all with his bluesy melodic top notch vocals.

Damn, do not be fooled by the unattractive cover artwork of “Soulburst”. This CD rocks in the best bluesy classic rock / hard school, full of soulful performances.
The guys in Dust might have born in Sweden but musically they’re raised in the traditional, classic British sounds of the genre. Fans of early Whitesnake, Badlands, Red Dragon Cartel, Rainbow, etc, you need to check this one.
Highly Recommended.

01 – Sun Rising
02 – King Is Coming
03 – Come On!
04 – Waiting For You
05 – Bad Boy
06 – Free
07 – Soul Stealer
08 – Keltic Wheel
09 – Blind

Roger Solander – Lead Vocals
Johan Niskanen – Electric and Acoustic Guitars, Vocals
Örjan Dr Rock Englin – Drums
Bernt Ek – Bass, Vocals

BUY IT !
www.amazon.co.uk/Soulburst-Dust/dp/B01BXGURE8
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